Society profile: Barts and The London (BL) Commuters

Are you a commuting student? Or, will you be commuting to university when you join us in September? We caught up with the Barts and The London (BL) Commuters Society to find out what useful activities they have planned to help you settle into life at Queen Mary, as well as help you to meet other commuting students and make friends along the way.

8 August 2018

What are the aims of the society?

The aims of our society are to help commuters integrate in to the Barts and The London life and to identify other commuters who commute from the same or nearby area. We’re also open to students from other campuses, as well as those who don’t commute but want to get involved with our activities.

What do you think are the biggest issues that commuting students face?

Hmm…this is a tricky question to answer, as every commuter’s experience is different. One of the biggest issues commuting students will face is the commute itself, which is very dependent on how well TfL (Transport for London) is running! Don’t worry about that though, because another commuting student who gets to campus earlier will happily save you a seat near the edge if you are running late! Just make sure you have your route planned and a backup route just in case TfL starts playing up. You may also face issues travelling when enjoying the nightlife, but it always helps having someone to commute with when going back home, or even staying over at a friend’s

What can new members expect to be getting up to when they join the society?

New members will get the chance to meet other commuters, and this is a fantastic opportunity to find out who is travelling on a similar route to you, so that you can commute with them if they want to (this will definitely help if you are planning a night out!).

Do you hold any special events? If so, is there anything coming up in the next few months that you’re excited about?

Yes we do! We will be hosting a meet and greet with many icebreakers so you can mingle with other commuters at the start of term. More information about this will be available on our Facebook page. We will also be hosting several events across the year, which will be a much-needed break from all the studying!

Finally, what would be your advice to any new students who will be commuting to university?

Make sure you plan your routes and have a backup route as well. Don’t worry about the amount of time spent travelling as many students commute and still pass their exams. Most importantly, just because you commute it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the social aspects of BL – you can still have a good time! Welcome to the BL Family.